Fine Print |
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![]() ![]() ![]() Aramark Classic Roast Peanuts, 5-oz. bag (Hampton Farms): There's nothing unusual about these peanuts, but there's an interesting bit of wording in the ingredients listing, which reads as follows: "In-Shell Peanuts, Dry Roasted. Salt Added if Salted." That last sentence is basically a lazy cost-cutting maneuver, carefully phrased so that the Aramark folks can use the same package for their salted and unsalted peanuts. But it also presents a great example of how tautological thinking becomes blindly self-validating: If they're salted, then they have salt -- wow, no kidding! While they were at it, they might have added, "Pepper Added if Peppered," "Sugar Added if Sugared," or "Carcinogens Added if Carcinogenic." (Hampton Farms, P.O. Box 149, Severn, NC 27877) ![]() HDR Corn Chowder, 8.5-oz. packet (Shelf Stable Foods, Inc.): In case you're unfamiliar with current trends in famine relief, "HDR" stands for "Humanitarian Daily Ration." This vacuum-sealed packet of corn chowder, in other words, is meant to feed the starving masses in some impoverished corner of the globe. A note on the package describes the chowder as "a gift from the people of the United States of America," which is pretty damn altruistic of us -- I'm feeling better about myself already. This spirit of philanthropy is also evident in my favorite detail about the product: the net weight, which is 8.5 ounces instead of the standard 8-ounce serving size. As my friend Darin notes patriotically, "The United States doesn't stop at a meager 8 ounces -- we kick in that exta half an ounce! I, for one, am tired of people bitching about U.S. imperialism all the time -- name me just one country as generous with its corn chowder as we are." And I thought the only thing setting us apart was that we read the fine print. (Shelf Stable Products, Inc., Evansville, IN 47715) |
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